1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronically creating social simulations. More particularly, the present invention involves a method and computer program for enabling a user to create a computer-based social simulation by defining various parameters of the simulation, testing the simulation, and publishing the simulation.
2. Related Art
Social simulations are useful tools employed by businesses and educational institutions to help individuals learn to react appropriately to different situations and evaluate the individuals. By creating artificial scenarios that mimic real world situations that the tested individual may face, the simulation allows the individual to react in a pressure-free environment. Thus, if the scenario mimics a pressured situation, the individual will feel more comfortable and will already have a base from which to make decisions when an actual pressure situation occurs. Other scenarios may include executive meetings, employee-employee and employee-manager interactions, teacher-pupil interactions, and training, both for job-related activities and sensitivity training, for example situations involving sexual harassment. Social simulations may be completely text-based or may include various media elements including audio, video, and animation. Social simulation computer programs can also be used to create simple tests.
The creation of social simulation computer programs is a lengthy and involved process that includes various steps, including authoring, designing, testing and publishing. Authoring is the process of creating the background for the simulation. This includes developing the story or situation to be resolved, determining what character types are to be involved, and what the possible reactions to the presented situation are as well as the consequences for each reaction. Designing involves arranging the information from the authoring process within the program, and choosing how the simulation as presented on the computer will look. Testing involves running the simulation and finding any errors or problems that need to be resolved. Publishing involves exporting the data for the simulation. This can be used to create media elements for use in the simulation; i.e. by providing scripts for actors to read from while producing video or audio elements for the simulation.
Unfortunately, existing social simulation computer programs do not enable all these steps. Thus, there is a need for a computer program that enables all of the steps of authoring, designing, testing and publishing the social simulation.